The inventions described and claimed herein relate generally to isolating heat on a barbecue grill assembly. In particular, the inventions relate to the use of heat resistant bushings to isolate heat sensitive parts of a grill assembly. The present inventions are described herein in the context of their use with a small portable gas grill, although the claims are not limited as such. The present inventions are equally useful with larger barbecue grills, either gas or charcoal fired.
In recent years, portable barbecue grills have become very popular. Smaller type portable grills, such as the Weber® Baby Q™, have become especially popular due to their small size and light weight. Consumers find it very convenient to use such grills at home and on the road, such as at picnics. Despite the benefits of these small, lightweight grills, manufacturers are generally limited in the type of materials that can be used for the grill. Plastics and the like are generally avoided, at least in locations remote to the cooking chamber, due to the potential for the material to degrade or melt. Consequently, small portable grills are generally constructed of heavy and expensive materials having a high melting temperature. The materials often used include metals such as iron, steel, and aluminum. Not only are such materials expensive, it is also expensive to form and/or machine such materials. The cost of forming the parts of portable grills can be significant given that consumer demand is greatest for grill designs that are complex, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.
It has been found that complex, functional, and aesthetically pleasing components are less expensive when formed from materials such as plastic. For reasons of consumer safety and structural integrity, the inventions described and claimed herein permit the use of such materials by isolating the heat sensitive components from the cooking chamber with a heat resistant bushing. Consumer safety is improved by isolating components adjacent to the cooking chamber from heat by reducing the risk of a consumer inadvertently burning themselves. In addition, structural integrity is improved by reducing the operating temperature of the heat sensitive components preventing melting and/or accelerated degradation of the material.
In the preferred embodiment, ceramic bushings are used to isolate a glass-reinforced nylon grill stand from the cooking chamber of a barbecue grill. The bushing incorporates a beveled upper edge for engaging with lobes which downwardly depend from the cooking chamber. The bushing also incorporates a circular lower portion for engagement with an aperture in the grill stand. The bushing is locked into engagement with the cooking chamber using a threaded bolt and is locked into loose engagement with the grill stand using a spring clip. The combination of the beveled upper edge and the loose engagement with the grill stand allows the bushing to float with respect to both the grill stand and cooking chamber. As a result, manufacturing tolerance requirements can be relaxed.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the inventions described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of the drawings.